Facebook Scam steals thousands from rancher’s customers, How law enforcement is fighting back

ARCHER, Idaho (KIFI) — It's a warning for all of us on social media. An eastern Idaho rancher says scammers stole his identity — and it cost his friends and customers.

Hagen Erickson owns Diamond E Quarter Horses, and while he was out of cell service, scammers were busy stealing his online identity — and using it to target those closest to him.

"So far, I think there's probably been about $5000, if not a little more money, that's been sent to this person that hacked my account," said Erickson. "Years of networking down the drain."

Watch the full story on how it happened, and what local law enforcement and the FBI are doing to fight back above.

New statistics from the FTC report rip-offs among Idahoans aged 60-69 have lost nearly $2,867,705 to fraud this year so far. The most prevalent scam categories affecting seniors in the state are business impostors, government impostors, and online shopping. Law enforcement agencies say the internet is the perfect disguise for these cyber criminals, with little to no recourse for the victims.

Here is how you can better protect your online accounts:

• Use multi-factor authentication on every account — especially social media.
• Change your passwords often and make it long, at least 12 characters.
• Never use the same password in multiple places.